Prisco's Week 12 NFL Picks: Cowboys hand Panthers first lossPETE PRISCO CBS SportsNovember 24, 2015 10:05 pm ET 
I've been a lot like the NFL season so far with my picks: Meh.It's time for both the league's play and me to pick up the pace. That will come now that Thanksgiving is here. Pretenders fade away.I am a contender.Forget the average ways. It is time to get it going with my picks, and there's nothing like a Thanksgiving slate to jump-start the week.There are three games, and I feel good about all my picks for those three -- including calling for the Dallas Cowboys to beat the Carolina Panthers and drop them from the ranks of the undefeated.It's Week 12. Time to make that push. Philadelphia (4-6) at Detroit (3-7) Thursday, Nov. 26, 12:30 p.m. ET (FOX)This is a must-win for the Eagles if they are going to have a chance to win the division. They aren't playing well, and the Lions are -- especially on defense. That carries over. Lions take it.The Pick: Lions 27, Eagles 21 Carolina (10-0) at Dallas (3-7) Thursday, Nov. 26, 4:30 p.m. ET (CBS)This is a huge game for the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. They won Tony Romo's first game back, and he shook off some rust. Can it carry over against a good Carolina defense? I think it can. The Cowboys pull off the upset.The Pick: Cowboys 24, Panthers 21 Chicago (4-6) at Green Bay (7-3) Thursday, Nov. 26, 8:30 p.m. ET (NBC)The Packers got back on track last week against the Vikings, and now get their rivals at home. Aaron Rodgers looked much better against Minnesota and he will continue that here. Packers roll.The Pick: Packers 33, Bears 21 New Orleans (4-6) at Houston (5-5) Sunday, Nov. 29, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)The Saints come off a bye with a new defensive coordinator after Rob Ryan was fired. Will that matter? The Texans are playing good defense right now, and they can do just enough on offense against a bad New Orleans unit. Texans take it.The Pick: Texans 24, Saints 17St. Louis (4-6) at Cincinnati (8-2) Sunday, Nov. 29, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)The Bengals are on a two-game losing streak, but they played well at Arizona last week. This is a much easier NFC West test. The Bengals will get it going again against a Rams team playing consecutive road games. Bengals easily.The Pick: Bengals 28, Rams 14 Minnesota (7-3) at Atlanta (6-4) Sunday, Nov. 29, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)The Falcons blew a 14-point lead against the Colts at home, and now face a tough Vikings team. The Falcons just don't look right on offense, and that's not a good thing against the Minnesota defense. Adrian Peterson will get it going on the ground and be too much for the Atlanta defense.The Pick: Vikings 23, Falcons 21New York Giants (5-5) at Washington (4-6) Sunday, Nov. 29, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)The Giants come off their bye in first place for what is a key division game. The Redskins can tie for the division lead with a victory here. New York's offense should be a tough challenge for the Redskins defense. I'll take Eli Manning over Kirk Cousins.The Pick: Giants 28, Redskins 20 Tampa Bay (5-5) at Indianapolis (5-5) Sunday, Nov. 29, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)The Bucs are a young team playing consecutive road games. They've grown as a team in the past month, especially Jameis Winston. I look for Winston to continue to play well here and keep it close. But can he win it? Not quite.The Pick: Colts 24, Buccaneers 21
